BJP patriarch LK Advani praised President Pranab Mukherjee for the withdrawal of the ordinance on convicted lawmakers in a blog post on Friday, denying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi credit for the same.
In fact, Advani claimed part of the credit for a BJP delegation requesting the
President not to sign it, adding that once the President got into the act, Sonia Gandhi decided to use Rahul to control the damage.

"We got the clear impression that he was convinced that the situation merited his intervention,” Advani said about his meet with the President.

The BJP patriarch however insisted that Rahul’s intervention had only ended up “rubbing off” the UPA and the PM’s authority.

"The victory that has come to the country by withdrawal of this illegal and immoral ordinance has thus been thanks only to the Rashtrapati," Advani said.

Referring to the President’s summoning of home minister Sushil Shinde, law minister Kapil Sibal and parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath, Advani said, “It seems these ministers were told that the President had reservations about signing the Ordinance. This must have alarmed the Ministers. "

He added: "It is then perhaps that Soniaji may have thought of doing some damage control using Rahul for the purpose".

Advani criticised Rahul for his strong words against the Ordinance: “The nonsense slur hurled at the Cabinet approved ordinance cannot apply only to the PM and his Ministers. Soniaji must also share responsibility."